Vero Beach - Jan. 26-Feb. 14

We've had a busy month here in Vero Beach but plan to move on tomorrow and travel faster than usual to reach Merritt Island (60 miles away) by tomorrow night.  Wayne has lots of repair news to report and, in fact, is hunkered down below decks even as we speak trying to crank up a non-starting generator.

Company for Dinner

At the end of January our son Patrick's high school friend Buddy brought his family - Danyelle, Annabelle, and Ethan, over for a boat ride and dinner aboard.  We had a good trip north on the ICW and then brought the crew back to the dock for Audience Participation Low Country Boil.  Each member of Buddy's family chose a job - washing potatoes, cutting up onions, shucking corn, slicing sausage, and timing the order they all get tossed in while Wayne tended the pot and I supervised the galley.  The resulting combination of boiled potatoes, corn, sausage, onions and shrimp was delicious and Danyelle brought a key lime pie to wrap up a tasty meal.



That's Captain Buddy at the helm and, left to right, Annabelle,
Ethan and Danyelle

Buddy, who works for Piper Aircraft, invited us to tour the Piper plant and offered to take us for an airplane ride.  The volunteer who took us on the Piper plant tour was a wealth of information.  Both of us were impressed to learn of the multitude of constant safety signoffs involved in the construction of an airplane.  Piper airplanes are still hand-built rivet by rivet.  After a few attempts to get together for a flight were thwarted because of high winds we finally got to take a plane ride with Buddy too.  What fun!!  Buddy showed Wayne how to work the controls of the plane and let him fly for most of the time we were up.



Ready to board for our flight on a beautiful winter day.
Hey, Buddy!  Shouldn't there be a parachute somewhere in here?
 



Master of the Air Buddy with Master of the Sea Wayne

Sebastian Inlet - Atlantic Ocean on the left and
the Intracoastal Waterway on the right
What an awesome sight.

Wayne,the happy pilot

Thanks, Buddy.  This was a high point of our time in Vero this winter.  Thanks also, Danyelle, for lunch at The Patisserie, just one more of the many super restaurants in Vero Beach.

Judging at the Indian River Regional Science and Engineering Fair

For the past two years Colleen has volunteered to judge at the elementary level of the science fair here in Vero.  This year Wayne judged too.  We are both so impressed with the efforts of the Education Foundation, the teachers, the volunteer judges and the students who participate in the fair.  The projects are high quality and the students who make it to this level are well prepared and an inspiration for everyone who has contact with them.  In case you don't know, Wayne and I met at the Orange County Science Fair fifty years ago this March.

Colleen, judging fifth grade science projects

Vero Beach Book Center

Vero Beach is fortunate to have a large, independent bookstore in the center of town.  Every winter they feature an author visit each week.  In years past Colleen has heard a few of her favorite authors and this year we hit the jackpot.  Lisa Gardner, Henry Winkler, and David Baldacci all visited Vero during the past few weeks so we have autographed copies of their newest books and enjoyed hearing them speak.  Interestingly, both Lisa Gardner and David Baldacci say they don't know where their stories are going to go when they begin writing a book.  Henry Winkler and his coauthor, Lin Oliver, are writing books starring a dyslexic boy, Hank Zipzer.  The books are printed in a new font specially designed to be read by children with dyslexia.  Very interesting.  And we're happy to report that "The Fonze" is still a very funny guy.



HenryWinkler and Lin Oliver signed Here's Hank for our
granddaughter, Kate



Lisa Gardner is one of Colleen's favorite scary mystery writers.

 

And David Baldacci, now writing for adults and kids

And the Sewing Projects Continue.......

Colleen has completed two large quilt tops and a big assortment of quilt blocks to add to blocks already made.  A visit to the Sunbonnet Sue guild meeting gave her good ideas for finishing a few projects and today the Sunbonnet Sues held their biannual quilt show.  This group includes many talented hand quilters, appliquers and embroiderers and their show features a wide assortment of quilting-related projects.



Same Courthouse Steps block, over and over.  Eventually it will be part of a lovely quilt.

Sampler blocks finally put together.  The fabric features sea turtles
and it will soon become a full-fledged quilt.


Two of my favorites from the Sunbonnet Sue Quilt Show
The piano is created with tiny two-inch squares strategically placed and patiently sewn together.









Wayne's sewing projects 

The triangle curtain to the far right was replaced while in Vero.  The front three were completed in Punta Gorda

The lower blue border was replaced with wider canvas and new snaps were installed.

New window covers were made for the port and starboard frontmost side windows

Repairs

This past month has been a PLUMBING month!

Hot water leak - For the second time, Wayne found a leak in the water line from the hot water heater.   He had been looking for weeks for the source of water that was accumulating in the forward bilge area.   A leaking elbow that was replaced three years ago at the same place had developed a new leak.  This time the adapter that joined Pex tubing to the fitting failed.  A whole rework of the adapter was determined to be required.  The difficulty in finding and repairing the leak is that the water heater is behind and below the headboard in the master cabin. 

BUT FIRST  a diversion!

Sump pump float switch - While we were thinking about where that hot water leak was, Colleen noticed a humming noise coming from the front bilge area below the galley.  Under the floor, our pantry area, is a water collector box for the front shower and front air conditioner condensate drain.  The pump float switch was stuck and the sump pump was running continuously.  Oh boy, two problems at once.  It did this just to divert Wayne's attention from the hot water leak. Big deal.  Just fix this small problem first.  This easy problem required half a day and a trip to West Marine for a new float switch.  West replaced it on warranty.  Thank you but it should last longer.  This wasn't the easy fix that it appeared it would be.

Back to the water heater:

After three trips to Sturgis True Value to get various half inch fittings and a smaller pipe wrench and three trips into the bowels of the boat, the leak was fixed.

The pliers are sitting on the water heater.  18 inches below these pliers is the set of elbows and pipe nipples that needed replacement.  By sliding the mattress back two feet and laying over the edge of the bed,
Wayne could reach the hot water plumbing.

Colleen, hang onto my ankles.  I am sliding into the access hatch!  That's not working -
 just lay across my legs to keep me from falling in!!!

Let me out of here.  Third time is the charm.

Forward compartment bilge pump float switch.

A float switch malfunction is what led us to chase the hot water leak.  Water was accumulating in the forward bilge even after we were tied in a slip.  The forward bilge pump had never functioned automatically since we bought the boat.  The pump was hidden below the galley floor and then below the pantry floor.  The pump worked when a switch was thrown from the flybridge console, but never worked automatically to remove the accumulation of normal leakage from the prop shafts.  After removing all the food stuffs, the two boxes of spare engine filters, and the shelf boards, Wayne could see the bilge pump and float switch.  The wiring was a butcher job.  After gathering all the necessary tools, Wayne ducked below the floor.  Uh oh! Carver Boats only led two wires to this pump.  There was no provision for a float switch.  A previous owner had realized this and wired in a float switch - albeit incorrectly!  He had wired the float switch directly across the positive and negative wires of the bilge pump.  That float switch had most certainly burned out as soon as the water triggered it or the bilge pump switch was thrown on the dashboard. Our new float switch could not be wired unless there was a second positive wire.  So back out of the bilge and route a new wire to the bilge.  DID WE MENTION THAT THERE WAS HARDLY ENOUGH ROOM TO GET IN OR OUT OF THE BILGE!  After numerous trips into the main engine area to route a new wire from the always-on panel to the forward bilge and several trips below the floor, the new automatic bilge pump was working as planned.  Only took about 6 hours to complete!

Here is Wayne disappearing below the galley floor to replace the bilge pump float switch

Fuel leak on the generator:

Today when Wayne was test running the main engines and the generator, the generator would not start.  We had run it just last week to test it.  Checks found that fuel was not getting to the injectors.  The fuel pump was getting electricity.  Wayne noticed a puddle of fuel below the pump.  A few checks further and he found a cracked fuel line at the fuel pump output.  A new fuel line was installed and after 30 minutes of bleeding air from the injectors the generator was running.  However, the Kohler genset uses a Yamaha motor and it will need several more injector bleeds before it performs properly.  All fuel lines on the generator will be replaced in Merritt Island.

The bad line is the one in Wayne's hand with the Kohler white paint peeling

Something different:

How about this boat lift?



Requires no air inflation. The floats are solid foam filled

 

The floats scissor open and the boat drives in

Then the floats scissor closed and the boat raises out of the water

Wayne's Favorite Boat Parts Store

The Marine Connection on US1 in Ft. Pierce sells surplus boat manufacturer goods.  It is a truly amazing store.  The variety and quantity of their stock is incredible.  Wayne found a new shifter and cables for our NC boat here.

Goodbye Vero Beach

A few of the things we'll miss in this beautiful community

The beach

A photo-shy turtle Wayne helped across the road



This is our favorite marina dog.  Daphne is a
beautiful, friendly King Charles spaniel, owned
by Ben and Mary.



Why do the Northerners flock to Florida in the winter?
Could it be the flowers?

So, as you can see, it's been a busy month.  Tomorrow we hope to set out early and travel much faster than usual (16-18 mph instead of 7-9 mph).  Oh, the fuel we will burn! We'll try to make it to our next stop, Merritt Island, by tomorrow afternoon.  The weather, even here, has been rather cold and windy and we don't want to anchor out in high winds.  By Valentine's evening we should be tucked into Harbortown Marina in Merritt Island, looking forward to visits with friends Marla, Marcy and Roger and family in Orlando during our last month on the water in  beautiful, mostly sunny, Florida.


 And just one last sight........

  



Donna, our sister-in-law, is an accomplished
home decorator.  A few years ago we admired this
handsome arrangement of fish sculpture and hat
on a glass bowl in her kitchen.



She laughed, lifted the hat and showed us its
real purpose - to hide the kitchen counter "clutter"
that we all have.